Music-loving Sylvia Parnell can hardly believe how her life has turned around since this time last year.

Only last year, Sylvia was chronically depressed, withdrawn and found it hard to even leave her house in the Brownshill Green area of Coventry.

Now she feels like a new woman – and says it’s all down to a meditation technique called Mindfulness. Sylvia will be one of a number of Mindfulness enthusiasts talking to audience members about her experiences at a free event at Coventry Cathedral between 6.30pm and 9pm on Saturday.

This will mark the first time an event promoting Mindfulness – which has historical connections with the East – has been allowed at a cathedral in the UK.

Sylvia said: “In many ways I had the perfect life. I was active and reasonably fit and healthy.

“I love my music and singing. But I had become incredibly down and depressed, and my health was suffering. went to the doctor, who prescribed medication, but I really didn’t want to go down that road.

“That’s when I discovered Mindfulness. And I learned that through meditation and an awareness that I was simply making myself poorly by expecting too much of myself, I could feel better about life.”

Dav Panesar and Sylvia Parnell

A friend introduced Sylvia to Coventry Mindfulness researcher and teacher Dav Panesar, and she began a course of meditation in the city. Within just a few weeks she found her depression lifting.

“I’m a new woman,” said Sylvia, who’s an active member of city choir The Belles of Three Spires. “I now know how to cope with whatever is thrown at me, and Mindfulness has taught me not to put pressure on myself to achieve, but to appreciate my life now.”

Sylvia is now helping to bring the Mindfulness message to more people in the city at the ground-breaking event at the city’s historic cathedral.

Dav Panesar, who has been practicing Mindfulness for more than 25 years and teaching Mindfulness for more than 20 years across the globe, said the event at the cathedral was an opportunity to tell the world about the health benefits of Mindfulness.

Dav said: “There’s lots of research to show how beneficial Mindfulness can be, however, it is important to ensure the teachers of Mindfulness have several years of personal experience of Mindfulness in order to teach it effectively

“Mindfulness helps us recognise the mind-body connection and addresses the root cause of unhealthy mental states such stress, anxiety, anger or fear leading to a healthier and happier life.

“We’re so pleased that the cathedral has given us the chance to tell the people of the city about it.

“Moreover, Mindfulness can help us all live more peaceful lives. I was really shocked by the recent story about the pensioner who was attacked and beaten up in Coventry city centre. It shows how badly the society needs techniques like Mindfulness to help us all live together more harmoniously.”

The event at the cathedral is being held as an introduction to Mindfulness, and will include music, talks and a demonstration of Mindfulness techniques.The driving force behind the evening has been Mindfulness advocate Pushy Sanghera, who runs the city centre’s Craft Culture fair trade shop.

She said: “We’re hoping the cathedral will be packed for the event.

“There’s room for about 250 people – although the cathedral can accommodate more. We’ve had lots of interest from people in the city as well as from Mindfulness supporters around the world.

“We’re hoping this will be the start of something much bigger. We’d like it to become an annual event and to take Mindfulness to other exciting venues to spread the word.”